BREAKING NEWS

Egypt army hits Sinai militants; new group claims Cairo bomb

The Egyptian army said on Saturday it had killed 16 Islamists in Sinai, and a new group said it carried out a bomb attack on police in Cairo, underscoring the widening scope of militant violence since the army removed Mohamed Morsi from power.

The army said its aircraft hit radical Islamists near Sinai's border with the Gaza Strip on Friday evening. A statement described them as belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood, which denies government accusations it has turned to violence.

The army has been trying to wrestle control of North Sinai from armed Islamists who have turned their focus from Israel to the government since Morsi, a Brotherhood member, was deposed in July following mass protests against his rule.

The state has declared the Brotherhood a terrorist group. The Brotherhood says it is committed to peaceful activism.

The army said on Saturday a roadside bomb planted to target military personnel had been defused in Sinai.